Have you a ‘golden’ child?

They might not admit it, but many parents have a ‘chosen one’ — a child that gets special treatment, writes Áilín Quinlan

IT’S ONE of the worst-kept secrets of family life — most mums and dads have a favourite. They will deny it, and, very often, so will the favourites, but the unfavoured ones know. They always know.

Admitting to having a favourite child is one of the biggest parenting taboos but, according to research by US psychologist Karl Pillemer, many families have a golden child.